2010 Honda Insight to Start at US$19,800

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

There is a certain pleasure to owning a brand new car that can't be replaced.....

I'm a miser, but I'll admit that a new car is like nothing else....

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Does this put any pressure at all on Toyota to keep the price of the Prius anywhere close to the Insight?

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

What a dissapointment. That should zip those claiming $4k less than Prius. That price makes the Iconic more attractive.

The Insight is slower, smaller, less MPG, more emission (still very clean) skinnier tires, no EV drive, no plug-in upfrade option.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

if anything, this pricing might enable toyota to prius more than they might have thought originally... there were roumours that Insight will be priced around 17k-18k.

now I wonder if this means 25k #2 package Prius.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

for anyone who does not know, vehicle pricing is by large, determined by what competition is doing.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Stopping distance (60-0 mph)for Insight with 175mm vs. Prius 215mm tires should not be overlooked.

23% more rubber contacting the road on top of the Prius instantaneous regen braking (thanks to the 80hp MG2 with 2x larger HV battery to absorb) should make a huge difference.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

I agree with the others, with Honda pricing the Insight $2k more than projected that opens up Toyota to raise their price on the Prius. I'm pushing my projected 2010 Prius base price from $24,500 to $25,000.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

$19.8k starting price with $670 destination charge, it would be $20.5k.

Besides the price, 41 combined MPG will not qualify for the HOV Clean Pass here in NY. 45 MPG is the minimal.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Honda's pricing on this makes me appreciate my 2006 all that much more. 23,500 minus 3,200 in Government credits = 20,300. Less than an Insight.

I love what you do for me, TOY O TA.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

For those who decide to buy one, it is always a 'crap shoot.' You walk onto a dealer's lot and in the USA, it depends upon how well you 'trick them' into 'tricking you' into a price that is agreeable. But this is a fair time to bring up the sophistication of hybrid skepticism:

• hybrids too expensive - now replaced by the Prius hybrid is too expensive. However, this claim seems to "forget" the Honda Civic Hybrid and even VW Jetta TDI price points, which both vehicles should be defeated by the Honda Big-Insight.
• 40 MPG is 'good enough' - in fact, the current claim is 40 MPG is not just good enough, it is Prius beating both the Honda Insight and the VW Jetta TDI (see Edmunds and other car advocacy sources.) Of course both occur only on the highway neglecting the USA habit of commuting to work.
  • NOTE: I am fully aware that in other countries, many workers commute to work with public transportation and use their vehicles to 'get away' on the weekend and vacations.

Understand that I have no problem with "hybrid skeptics" becoming more "Prius skeptics." It turns out that attacking one class of vehicles often leads to a change of attitude, an increase in brand or vehicle loyalty that is counter productive to the skeptic's intent. This happened during WW-II when bombing of civilian targets in the UK and later in Germany increased 'loyalty' to their governments due to a shared sense of a common foe.

Criticism of the Prius, especially those based upon 'junk' analysis, engenders stronger brand loyalty. This supports leads to the Consumer Reports annual survey showing the Prius owners have for the past five years demonstrated the highest ranking of consumer loyalty, over 90%. The more unfair the comparison, such as list price of the Honda Big-Insight versus the unannounced 2010 Prius list price demonstrates that Prius critics should have every one of their claims checked and double-checked because they are equally likely to be poorly done with many errors or just lying.

So I'm somewhat relaxed about these "Prius skeptic" claims. Soon enough, sometime this summer, we should have actual 2010 Prius in our hands. Others, Honda Civic hybrid owners will have Big-Insights. There should also be a smattering of Ford Fusion hybrids. We can all drive up to HybridFest and hopefully compare notes.

With the exception of those who just lost their car in an accident, the wise buyer defers a new car expense when there are multiple, first year models, and waits until 'the dust settles.' But as an engineer, I've made my choice based upon:

• architecture - which vehicle has the strongest engineering
• price - I don't need a status symbol (aka., no Lexus, Fisker, Tesla, or other $30k+ vehicle need apply.)

If others choose to spend their time reading the entrails of press releases, good at 'em.

Bob Wilson

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Remains to be seen.

Two things are known: Toyota dealers have significantly wider margins than Honda dealers, and discounts are easier to come by with older designs.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

I think your in the ball park about the price but remember the economy and Toyota desire for this car to be a success.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

That depends on if you measure success by units sold or yen made. The Honda executive in the 2010 Insight article I read was quoted as saying the reason Honda didn't their price target on the Insight was increased material costs and the value of the yen. These problems aren't unique to Honda. I suspect the new leadership at Toyota is more interested in returning to profitability then increasing the number of hybrids sold.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Are the hybrid tax credits (from 2006) still available for Honda?

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

no

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

Actually $19,800 for Insight is high. The mid-size 2010 Camry starts at $19,395. Corolla (still larger than Insight) starts at $15,350. Yaris (with similar passenger space) starts at $12,205.

Source

Insight barely made it to the Compact class. It's size is between Yaris and Corolla.

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

True on the size. But then we don't usually compare the price of the Prius to non-hybrids without allowing for the hybrid powertrain, right?

 

Re: 2010 Honda Insight to Start at $19,800

The red flag is due to the starting price of the Compact size hybrid costing more than the start price of the non-hybrid Mid-size car. How is the Insight "affordable"?

If the start price of the 2010 Prius (Mid-size) cost more than the start price of the Full-size Avalon ($27k), there will be red flag too. However, the Prius won't start there... most likely $21-23k.